The Basque Country sits between Spain and France, but it doesn't fully belong to either — and that's kind of the whole point. In this episode, I sit down with Edgar Karranza, a Bilbao-area native currently living in Almaty, for my first-ever in-person podcast interview.

Over a very good bottle of wine, we dig into what it actually means to be Basque — the deep roots, the fierce community identity, and a language called Euskera that has no known relatives anywhere in the world.From there, we get into the food.

Edgar walks us through the foundational flavors of Basque cuisine — bacalao (and why that word is Basque, not Spanish), chipirones en su tinta, chuleta grilled over open fire, and the cider culture that shapes how Basques gather and eat together.

We spend a good amount of time on pintxos — not just what they are, but the entire social ritual around pintxo pote Thursdays, the txikiteo tradition in Bilbao, and why food in the Basque Country is never just about eating.

This is Part 1. Part 2 covers Basque cheesecake, txoko gastronomic societies, the Michelin star legacy, and Edgar's last meal.

Find Edgar on Instagram at @edgarkarranza

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This podcast exists to share cultures and get more curious about the world we live in.

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Identity & Belonging: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠✨

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